Essays on Rastafarianism

Introduction

Even if music can be viewed as a universal language, music still differs from society to society largely due to the culture in which that specific music is associated in. In other words, every separate human society has their more or less unique variant of music, which contributes to the characteristic of their culture in general. For example, Latin Americans are commonly associated with Latino music, the hip-hop genre and the blues was commonly credited to the black culture, among others. One particular popular music of interest is the one that came from the Caribbean Islands, particularly the island ...

First concept that I want to discuss is Garveyism that played exceptional role in the development of Rastafarianism. Garveyism is a philosophy of Marcus Garvey, who is considered to be a visionary and messiah for Jamaican people. Garvey considered that African Americans and other black people – descendants of slaves, who were forcefully moved from Africa, had a right to return to their homeland. Garvey argued that people that do not know their history and past are like trees without roots; and the roots of black Americans were in African continent. He was a charismatic spokesman and leader and managed ...

Smith, Augier & Nettleford in their article on Rastafarianism note that its beginnings were in the 1920s. While the movement is believed to have officially started in 1933 in Jamaica, the movement or rather religion, already had started. The country of Jamaica is believed to have had two specific individuals that guided the movement that has become known as Rastafarianism - Bedward and Marcus Garvey. In most contexts, the latter is more prominently discussed being regarded as the father of the movement. The idea behind Rastafarianism as Smith, Augier & Nettleford articulate is to proclaim African American nationalism and subsequently, the ...

Religion is an organized system of practices and behaviors, ceremonies, world views, mythologies, ethics, holy place, and sacred tests that relate to humanity. Different religious groups are made up of various elements. The elements may differ on grounds of what is being worshiped, sacred things, and divinity. All religions have their practices, and these may include sermons, sacrifices, festivals, rituals, initiations, matrimonial services, prayer, music, and dance (Doyle 107). In most instances, religious groups will always have sacred history and narratives, which tend to be preserved in sacred books, and holy place (Jung 112). Through religion, the origin of ...

Arising as the biggest ideology of African culture, Rastafari movement became a household name in the late 1930s in the republic of Jamaica. Though many people describe Rastafarianism as a form of religion, the advocates of this movement consider it as a way of life. They believe that Haile Selassie equates to Jesus Christ in the Bible. Rastas or Rastafari is the name given to the followers of this movement. Moreover, Rastafarianism refers to the way of life for many of its followers. However, the Rastafari family dislikes this term because they believe it is associated with Babylonian culture. This paper hopes ...

Jamaica is a country located in the Caribbean Island which was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494(Wilson, 2004, p.6). The country enjoys a diverse population of about 2.9 million people. This country is known by many a cultural hub of the culture of Rastafarianism, named after King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and the art of reggae music. However, the richness of the Jamaica moves from the mere notion of Rastafarianism and the art of reggae music. This paper intends to support the fact that the Jamaican culture is rich in diverse by exploring the heritage, history, food and other fundamental facets ...

Lately, there have emerged several kinds of religions all over the world. Although some are related in one way or another, there are remarkable differences between these religions. One such religion is the Rastafarianism. This kind of religion emerged in the early 1930s in Jamaica. This movement has developed greatly since its foundation and it is now regarded as a major political and cultural power in Jamaica. Notably, it is a monotheistic Christian movement in which most of its participants worship Haile Selassie who they belief to be the recreation of Jesus, while others take him to be their God’s ...